NAIROBI, Kenya, Feb 27 – One person died and four others were admitted to hospital on Monday morning after they consumed illicit brew in Githunguri.
Four of the men were found on the roadside within Githunguri town before they were rushed to hospital where one of them was pronounced dead on arrival.
Villagers told police the fifth person was taken to hospital from his home after he started complaining of eyesight problems.
“We have received the report and investigation has been launched, our officers are on the ground trying to ascertain the extent of this problem,” Kiambu police Chief Samuel Mukindia said and urged others affected to rush to hospital.
“We are telling people that if they have their relatives or friends who have developed any complication after drinking over the weekend, let them take them to hospital,” he added.
He said they were yet to establish the kind of brew those affected consumed.
In September last year, up to 24 people died in Nyahururu after consuming illicit brew allegedly containing high levels of methanol.
The government launched a crackdown on illicit brews across the country soon after the September incident and ended up charging several people for manufacturing the deadly spirits.
But despite the massive crackdown, illicit brews are still manufactured and consumed in remote parts of the country and in slums, particularly in Nairobi.
